Italian Lakes Wedding Planner

Cindy and Christian asked me for a catholic wedding at lake Maggiore, their location was already fixed, the charming Villa Margherita in Oggebbio.
My proposal was to celebrate the church wedding in the roman chapel Sant’Agata in Novaglio near Oggebbio. This chapel was rebuilt and restored by the parish of Oggebbio and so the local priest is very proud to present this romantic and welcoming church, inside all worked out in rough granit stone.

A wonderful ceremony was prepared, but the most emotional moment were the trumpet music interludes from Cindy’s father and at the end an Italian song presented by one of their best friends being an opera singer.

There is enough outdoor-space to organize a toast afterwards and so we had special champagne from Lussemburg as Cindy parents are coming from there.

After enjoying a while the scenic views one has all over the lake we drove back to Villa Margherita and had the Italian aperitivo in their terraced gardens followed by a seated dinner.

Let me mention our deco-concept: it was all white and a smooth purple. Purple colored Hortensies matched with white Roses and white and lilac Lysianthus. Continue Reading »

Cindy und Christian haben mich um die Organisation Ihrer katholischen Trauung am Lago Maggiore gebeten. Verliebt hatten Sie sich schon in die Location Villa Margherita in Oggebbio. Mein Vorschlag war die romanische Kirche S. Agata in Novaglio, eine von der Gemeinde restaurierte romanische Kirche, an welcher der dortige Pfarrer sehr viel selbst mitgewirkt hatte und deshalb besonders stolz auf dieses kleine Juwel ist. Innen ist alles in hellem Granit-Stein erbaut.

Mit dem Pfarrer gemeinsam wurde eine wirklich rührselige Zeremonie ausgearbeitet. Aber besonders individuell war das Trompetenspiel von Cindys Vater und am Schluss trug dann ein guter Freund der Familie auch noch ein italienisches Lied in Opernmanier vor.

Vor der Kirche befindet sich ein geräumiger Terrassenplatz, sodass dies ein geeigneter Ort für einen Umtrunk ist. Cindys Eltern hatten einen speziellen Champagner aus ihrer Heimat Luxemburg mitgebracht.
Nach ausreichendem Genuss, vor allem aber auch der wunderschönen Blicke über den gesamten Lago Maggiore fuhren wir zurück zur Villa Margherita und wurden dort mit einem Welcome-Cocktail in deren Terrassengärten empfangen. Gefolgt von einem servierten Hochzeitsdinner im Garten.
Continue Reading »

Do you remember about Cassy and Gary’s wedding a couple of years ago?
They fell in love both with Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore and could not decide what to choose for their wedding. They ended with choosing both of them!
This is what happened to Lucy and Mike!

When they came over for their visit to choose the right venue for their wedding Lucy fell in love with the wonderful spot of Villa Bossi in Orta, an ideal venue for an outdoor civil ceremony.
For their reception Lucy and Mike wanted something different and for this reason they opted for Lake Maggiore and its wonderful clear waters.

Let’s start from the beginning!
Lucy and Mike’s guests were not many they decided to stay in Stresa the gem of Lake Maggiore overlooking Borromeo Islands.
It is just there where Lucy got ready.
At the right time all were ready to reach Lake Orta for a wonderful ceremony at Villa Bossi.
Lucy arrived a little later to get on the boat and reach Mike and guests waiting for her.
Continue Reading »

We are sure many of you feel in love with Darren and Leanne’s wedding we post some weeks ago!
Do you remember? Bride and groom under a flower arch, on a green lawn, rose petals and romantic ceremony with stunning view on Lake Maggiore and Borromeo Islands. A glowing panorama! Isn’t it like a dream?
This is the magic atmosphere Leanne and Darren wanted for their wedding: a dream coming true: Grand Hotel Dino!

Today we will discover in details this wonderful venue for your wedding on Lake Maggiore. Grand Hotel Dino is located in Baveno and it is part of one of the most important Hotel Chain that works on Lake Maggiore: Zacchera Hotels.

Side of Grand Hotel Dino there are four more luxury venues on Lake Maggiore of Zacchera Hotel Chain. We mention here in particular Grand Hotel Bristol on Stresa Lake shore with a great Winter Garden. Continue Reading »

Today we are pleased to introduce you one of the most quaint restaurants on Lake Maggiore: Ristorante Verbano on Pescatori Island.

It faces the lake in the heart of Borromeo Gulf just few minutes boat ride from Stresa. Hotel Ristorante Verbano’s appeal fascinated artists and writers of the past who found in this special place inspiration and peace.
Today thanks to its magical position this little romantic hotel is one of the most evocative destination for weddings on Lake Maggiore.

If you are looking for an outdoor reception Ristorante Verbano has a wonderful terrace facing Isola Bella and its magnificent Borromeo Palace.
Your guests will love the charm o this place just romantic and spectacular!

Ristorante Verbano has also two wide rooms for your receptions, both facing the lake who can host up to 190 guests. Continue Reading »

We come back to you speaking about Isola Bella and this time to tell you about Cristina and Simone’s wedding on this little pearl of Lake Maggiore.

We already told you about Isola Bella and its great Italian gardens. They are the best especially in Spring time with an amazing explosion of colored flowers: camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias, wisterias, azaleas and during the year they never stop blooming.

Cristina and Simone wanted for their wedding pictures this special heaven on earth.
A lovely and warm Spring day of April was the perfect frame for their special event.

Weather on Borromeo Islands and on Lakes area is usually characterized by a period of rain that goes from 3 to 5 weeks in Spring. It vary according the year.
This year March had some rain while April was really good just like Cristina and Simone’s day. Continue Reading »

Unique, wonderful, amazing… there are not enough adjectives to describe Borromeo Islands, the island archipelagos in the middle of Lake Maggiore facing Stresa, Baveno and Verbania.

We talked about Borromeo Islands their natural beauty and their history several times.
But this time we would like to suggest our brides and grooms some useful information for a wedding on the three main islands of Borromeo Gulf: Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori.
A special thanks to Piero Gatti – wedding photographer in Stresa – for the great Borromeo Islands’ images he provided us.

These three islands have a rich vegetation and a mild climate all year long, thanks to Lake Maggiore waters, sun rays exposition and wind shielded position. Here you will appreciate a Mediterranean micro climate and you will see delicate and exotic plants.

If you are thinking about getting married on Borromeo Island take April and May in consideration. You will find showers sometimes but rhododendrons, magnolias, azaleas and camellias blooming is amazing. It could be the perfect frame for amazing wedding pictures.

As far as transports are concerned all islands are reachable thanks to ferries or lovely motorboats services. They may be able to transfer even big groups of people. Continue Reading »

We’ve mentioned this lovely news in our Just Married section. This was one of the most important event of 2010 Summer Season on Italian Lakes: Daniel and Tessa’s wedding on Lake Maggiore.

Tessa Brix is a Dutch model. She is also famous in her country for many TV spots and catwalks.
In 2003 she was Miss Netherlands Universe and she represented Netherlands to selections for Miss Universe in Turkey.
In 2005 she was chosen again to represent the Netherlands to Miss Europe in Paris.

It was a real honor for Italian Lakes Wedding Team hosting Tessa Brix wedding. We worked hard to make this happen and to let Tessa and Daniel enjoy their event in every single detail.
Valentina Lombardi – our planner for Lake Maggiore – followed the planning event, Monika Andenmatten followed floral design. Enrico Mocci was the photographer chosen by Tessa and Daniel to be their official photographer for their Big Day.

You will see here just few images of all the pictures but do not hesitate to see Tessa and Daniel’s PHOTO GALLERY. There are more than 60 images taken by Enrico Mocci who calibrated colors, lights and shades in a perfect way. Continue Reading »

Like last year, also this year RED is going to be one of our brides preferred color.
We spoke about Cinzia and Christian’s wedding on Lake Orta last day with a lot of red details inside. Today we would like to speak about Melissa and Cameron’s wedding.
A young American couple who choose Lake Maggiore and Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées for their Italian wedding.

Cinzia and Christian, Melissa and Cameron: two distant couple connected by a red themed wedding.

Red is color of love, a warm and passionate color. It is a interesting and charming color. In many cultures it is the representation of beauty. Indian, Mussels and Chines brides usually wear red to celebrate love, passion and romanticism.

Melissa and Cameron for their wedding chose to have red all around.
Just have a look to bridesmaids and flower girls dresses, groom tie and of course on the table centerpieces and bridal bouquet. Continue Reading »

It is always so nice thinking that more than being a romantic and happy moment, weddings could be a meeting between different people and different customs.
This wedding I will tell you about is a real example for that.
Francesco is Italian from Verbania on Lake Maggiore and Sarah has Indian heritage. Both live and work in London but chose to get married in Italy with Jehovist ceremony.

As Mariana and Matteo (main character of the picture who won the contest Shot of the Year 2009) Francesco deep love for his hometown affected Sarah. So this is the reason because they chose Lake Maggiore as frame for their wedding.

As floral designer I managed all flower arrangements for Sarah and Francesco’s wedding: from their ceremony who was held in Sala del Regno in Verbania and reception to Grand Hotel Dino in Baveno. Last but not least I created also bridal bouquet with red roses and wonderful sparkling Swarovski that Sarah brought from UK. Such a perfect choice! The lovely sunny weather made them sparkling all thay long just like little diamonds.

Religious ceremony with Jehovah service has been held in Sala del Regno in Verbania. It is a big and bright building with lovely garden.
Religious service of Jehovah’s Witnesses is very simple but surely strict. It follows rules that founder Charles Russell established in middle 1800 and spread through religious magazine The Watch Tower. Continue Reading »

Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori: they are Borromeo Islands.
Three precious jewels rich in charm and history now among the most know touristy destination of Italian Lakes.
Someone said that gossip of possible wedding between George Clooney and Italian showgirl Elisabetta Canalis here increased the appeal of these places making them “exclusive”.
We do not have to forget about another fairy tale wedding that took place on Borromeo Islands: John Elkann – ceo of Fiat – and princess Donna Lavinia Borromeo.

If Isola Madre and Isola Bella are known for their great palaces and gardens and could be the perfect frame for your wedding pictures, Pescatori Island could be the best location for a perfect reception on the lake shores. This thanks to its wonderful position and rich gastronomic tradition.

Pescatori Island is the only one that is not part of Borromeo Family properties.
It is a liggle village with no more than 50 inhabitants. Fishing was the main occupation in the past some members of local families are still fishers.
You can see this heritage all over here starting from the little port where you will see many fishing boats.

It is such a peaceful place so you will meet many cats and frogs especially in July. Little nice frogs jump all over the narrow roads of the islands.
In this idyllic place there is a quite corner: a little garden with a terrace on the lake. You will read a big white sign with the name Belvedere on it.

Hotel Ristorante Belvedere is located on North East part of Pescatori Island far from busy port.
It has been managed from the same family for 4 generations. In 1921 restaurant hosted Charles De Gaulle who had lunch there during his honeymoon.

Today Belvedere Restaurant can host up to 200 guests inside the charming rooms and on its two gardens on the lake. Your reception to Hotel Ristorante Belvedere can be arranged on the open air by the lake shores, in the wide garden under the porch of booming flowers or inside the charming and bright veranda. You could also choose the lovely dining room once called La Grotta (the cave) because walls were all in stones.
The venue has been just refurbished but still preserves the charm of the ancient appeal. From all corners, including the dining room you could see Isola Madre and its great botanic park.

Belvedere Restaurant mainly serves fish dishes hand made prepared combining precious ingredients of Lake Maggiore and close valleys. Cheese lovers will taste Toma of Ossola valley and natural Gorgonzola. While wine lovers could choose among great Piemonte wines such as Barolo, Dolcetto, Barbaresco or pick great local wines of Novara valley. Continue Reading »

Among all past Autumn weddings Chiara and Stefano’s wedding was one of my favorites. Bride and Groom were very nice and they choose a wonderful location for their wedding… but most of all Chiara’s dress was simply amazing.

As floral designer I really appreciated bride’s approach towards me. Even if she gave me precise information on her color scheme, she totally trusted me giving me wide freedom on style and shapes for her floral arrangement. This gave me the opportunity to express myself without being to tight on fixed schemes. I believe that for a floral designer is could be the best way to create and express her skills.

Chiara and Stefano’s big day was arranged on Lake Maggiore. Photographers Manuele and Laurence of Studio Foto Benaglia followed the days with their pictures. The followed the group from the early hours of the day until very late at night. This great italian-french couple of photographer realized a lovely natural and spontaneous reportage service taking every single detail of the day. Have a look to the nice Photo Gallery on Chiara and Stefano’s wedding relized by Foto Benaglia.

From Veneto to Piemonte region: Chiara and Stefano reached Lake Maggiore from Treviso in Veneto region, just like at least half of their guests. Chiara was born in Arona and her heart was set here and Stefano fell in love with this lovely town too. So they opted for Lake Maggiore for their destination wedding. All guests loved this choice they did not know how beautiful could be our magic lake.

Chiara choose red for her wedding theme color. Deep red for flowers, invitations, and wedding shoes. Cherry red for a fantastic organza roses fall on her wedding dress. A very original dress for sure! Chiara designed it and she could realize it thanks to the help of Rosanna, the owner of a little atelier in Feltre on foot of Belluno Dolomites.
The shoulder cover, bustier and part of the skirt were mad of laces with plisse’ tulle. Main feature was roses fall in cherry red that started from waist point to create a little train.
Simply wonderful!

Groom opted for a tailor made suit, too. He was surely elegant and handsome.

Chaira and Stefano got married on October 10 on a wonderful warm day similar to summer time. Religious ceremony was held in Santi Martiri Church in Arona, also known as San Graziano church. Church is located in highest part of the town and has a baroque facade and Gothic nave inside. One of the most beautiful detail is the lovely staircase that from San Graziano square leads to church’s entrance.

Floral arrangement was really detailed. On side of aisle red carpet I placed a series of balloon shaped Buxus enriched with red roses and white Gerberas. I also added scattered rose petals on the floor and little bouquets on the pews.

On white marble balusters I created different height arrangements, just in the middle between ancient and modern style. On a white Gerberas and Monstera leaves base I placed Passion Roses on different levels and on side of them I added some Bear Grass. Continue Reading »